Five past Midnight in Bhopal
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Dominique Lapierre, Javier Moro |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World's Deadliest Industrial Disaster is a work authored by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro, centered on the 1984 Bhopal disaster. Initially published in 1997, its English translation appeared in 2001.
Overview
The writers immersed themselves in Bhopal for three years during the late 1990s, conducting thorough interviews with eyewitnesses and participants from both India and the United States. The narrative opens by portraying rural migrants who relocated to Bhopal to escape drought conditions, settling in impoverished neighborhoods. It also traces the creation of Union Carbide’s pesticide, Sevin, an American company’s product that involved chemicals such as methyl isocyanate and α-naphthol.
The account details the catastrophe that resulted in fatalities estimated between 15,000 and 30,000, focusing on individuals including Padmini, an Oriya young woman preparing for her wedding on the disaster night, and Sister Felicity, a missionary from Scotland. Additional prominent characters include a vendor who provided tents to protect victims from the poisonous gas and a railway station official who attempted to stop a train from halting in the contaminated zone.
The concluding section explores the consequences of the event, highlighting figures such as Warren Anderson, then-chairman of Union Carbide, and Warren Woomer, who supervised the factory operations in Bhopal.
Film rights
In September 2001, reports indicated that director Oliver Stone was in discussions with Dominique Lapierre regarding acquiring the film adaptation rights for the book.
Defamation lawsuit in India
In July 2009, a court in Jabalpur imposed a prohibition on the book’s publication and distribution within India, targeting both the authors and local publisher Full Circle Publication. This action followed a defamation case initiated by Swaraj Puri, former Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, concerning allegedly defamatory statements. Puri had served as Bhopal’s Police Commissioner during the disaster. The authors maintained that the disputed content was corroborated by Moti Singh, then Collector of Bhopal, as documented in his 2008 publication Unfolding The Betrayal Of Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
According to Puri’s attorney Rajesh Pancholi, a legal notice was issued to the authors in 2002; however, proceedings were postponed due to their overseas residence. The initial claim for compensation of million was subsequently doubled after no reply was received; nonetheless, Puri prioritized obtaining a public apology over financial restitution.
Pradeep Bakshi, representing Full Circle Publication, argued that financial motives underpinned the dispute. The publishers denied any increase in sales resulting from the lawsuit and suggested it aimed to intimidate them, citing difficulties related to litigation in Jabalpur. They further highlighted that Moti Singh’s book—which contained more critical content regarding Puri—had not faced similar legal challenges.
On 8 October 2009, following a petition filed by the authors and publisher asserting absence of defamatory material about Puri, the Madhya Pradesh High Court revoked the ban.
See also
- Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, a 2014 film about the disaster
- Bhopal Express, a 2000 film directed by Mahesh Mathai